Printer driver disappears

[jmwe1953]

Hi all.  I have been using this HP 4630 inkjet with no problems for several years. Now it seems the printer driver is disappearing from my computer every day. And I mean every day. When I open the control panel printer screen, the printer shows up in gray, print jobs don't register with the computer at all, and I've had to uninstall and reinstall the driver every time I want to use it. What gives? I am wondering if a Windows 10 update may have done this, and perhaps I should be on a Windows forum instead. The same problem is going on with the second laptop, and it all happened at the same time. Right now I want to print up a shipping label but can't without uninstalling and reinstalling yet again. It's old. Any suggestions?? And I really don't want to hear that the printer is old. I'm sick of built-in obsolescence. This one works just fine when the computer recognizes it. Any ideas?

[MKazi]

@jmwe1953

Thanks for reaching out to us on HP Support Forums. I came across your post and would like to assist.

I understand that you have an HP Officejet 4630 e-All-in-One Printer. I read that the printer is connected in a wireless network and you have to reinstall the printer drivers often to make it work. I appreciate the steps you have performed and have certainly done a good job.

To assist you better, I would like to know the following information:

• When was the last time the printer worked fine?
• Did any software changes or updates happen post which this issue may have started?
• Does the printer work fine if connected via USB?

Meanwhile, I recommend you to perform the following steps to isolate the issue and arrive at a fix: 

• Please download and run the HP Print and Scan Doctor software. This is a free tool for Windows to help resolve issues with the printer drivers. 

If the issue persists then let us uninstall the printer drivers from the root level and then reinstall them. The following steps will help:

• In Windows, search for and open Programs and Features.
• Select your HP printer.
• Select Uninstall.
• In Windows, search for and open Devices and Printers.
• In the Devices and Printers window look for your HP Printer. If you see it listed, right-click on it and choose "Delete" or "Remove Device.”
• Open up the run command with the "Windows Key + R" key combo.
• Type printui.exe /s and click OK.
• Click on Drivers tab.
• Look for HP Printer driver. If you see it click on it and click Remove at the bottom.
• Select OK.
• Select Apply and OK on the Print Server Properties windows.
• Close Devices and Printers.
• You may download and install the drivers via this link. 

This should take care of the issue. However, if the printer continues to not print then please perform the steps from step 2 onwards from this HP document. 

I sincerely hope this fixes the issue. Let me know how it goes. Good luck! 🙂